2 exhitokiris in the house
by nilnil
Summary: before kyoto arc. Saitou and Kenshin were fighting in a life and death match... but what happens if Okubo Toshimichi did not come? Who would save them? god how i suck at summuries
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I wish I could, (sobs slightly) I really do, (tears starts to fall already) but, but, (kaoru : just say it) I don't own RK (burst into tears and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and cry and… you get the picture)

This is sort of important

This happens after Saitou just appeared. He went to injure Sanosuke, and then threaten and I don't remember and then he went to fight with Kenshin. That is basically it. Before Kyoto Arc where Saitou is suppose to say Kenshin can be the person to defeat Shishio or not.

I hope I am clear because I read what I wrote I don't know what the half of it I say buy I could not think of a better way to say it… except maybe go read the manga translation, it is around chapter 34 I think…

Now on with the story ……

**Two Ex-Hitokiris in the house **

Chap 1 – I will not let you die!

Bang!

Kenshin's back pummeled against the wall. Everyone else in the dojo winced noticeably, especially Kaoru.

"You struggle in vain!" Saitou stood there smugly, gripping on his sword. Looking lovingly at his sword, he continued "It is nameless, but my beloved blade and these techniques have served me well in countless dangers from the time of the Bakumatsu until now." He smirked gleefully, "You won't break them now."

"Kenshin!" Kaoru rushed over to him "Ken …" she froze momentarily.

Kenshin's eyes, they were distant, cold, calculating. They sent shivers down Kaoru's spine. His eyes above all, had flecks of amber.

"Stand aside, little girl. You're in the way." Saito said menacingly.

Kaoru just stood there, staring into Kenshin's eyes. She refused to move, she refused to let them continue this meaningless fight, she refused to let Kenshin be once again Battousai, something which he has been fighting against for ten years, someone he was very close to being into.

Kaoru jumped. Kenshin had gently put his hand on her shoulder, and gave a reassuring smile, though it was a cold one. Kaoru only shook her head, tears was welling in her eyes, though she tried not to let it drop. He gave a gentle push and Kaoru was out of the way, behind him.

"Let's go."

Kenshin was an absolute blur as he started off. The previous response to the second attack, trying to break the sword, had been faster than to the first one. He's taken a deep wound to the chest and yet he was still going strong. He's learned to accept victory by awakening the strength of the Hitokiri that sleeps inside him.　When he picks up the sword, although he doesn't know it --little by little he's reverting to Hitokiri Battousai.

Saitou kicked out suddenly and Kenshin was knocked back to a standstill. He used his sword as a stand to lean, breathing deeply.

'He's breathing too hard.' Kaoru thought worriedly. Kenshin had taken a stab in the chest but was still continuing to fight.

"Now that, has exceeded my expectations." Saitou whispered, barely loud enough for any one to hear it.

But, Kenshin heard it. Slowly Kenshin brought his breathing under control, and gazed fiercely at Saitou.

"No" a gasp from Kaoru. She had heard it too, but the more terrifying thing was about Kenshin's eyes. 'no, it can't be'

Saitou sized up his opponent, as if calculating the next move, "Only this will tell. The true from of the Gatotsu. No holding back now."

"He's . . . he's been holding back up till now!" Yahiko exclaimed.

Ignoring that 'burst of excitement', Saitou stabs forward, with an incredible amount of speed. Kenshin however was no slower, and perhaps faster. He missed the sword and sidestepped. He dodged the attack gracefully…… and attacked ruthlessly. He whipped his sword around in a backhanded blow to the base of Saitou's skull. Saitou was driven through the dojo wall, with debris all behind him.

"Amazing! Avoiding the blow and turning at the same time. A blow to the back full of centrifugal force!" Yahiko was 'whao'ed by the exchange of blows.

"After being shown the Gatotsu four times in succession, even a fool would think of one or two counterattacks. Get up, Saitou. It would be disappointing to end our battle like this after ten years." Kenshin growled.

'oh no, no no…' Kaoru shook her head in denial.

Saitou climbed up to his feet, using his sword as a lever "I had assumed that you were merely sharp, I was only trying to test your strength. But my plans have changed. I'll kill you now."

'Kenshin? No…'

"You must be dreaming. I should be the one to say that."

"Battousai" Kaoru fell to her knees. 'It's the same … it's exactly the same as with Jin'eh …' "Stop them … somebody stop them …" 'Kenshin… Kenshin is not here anymore.' "Somebody stop them!"

Blurs running here and there, the only way to keep check of their placing was to look at the floor. Friction has lift some of wood up, and blood trailed down on the floor, following the path way of both Kenshin and Saitou. Then the tip of Saitou's sword was shorn off. And graze past his own head, hitting the wall behind him.

"Next time it will be your head that flies."

"Wow . . . Kenshin's much sharper today." Yahiko commented.

Kaoru shook her head, "No… that's not Kenshin! Open your eyes. That's Hitokiri Battousai! It's Battousai! Stop them! Somebody stop them…please…"

Leaning on a stick as a walking cane, Sanosuke limped in, "It's no good, Kaoru. They're not in Meiji Tokyo any more. They're fighting in Kyoto of the Bakumatsu. No matter how much you call, your voice can't reach them. Only someone who survived the violence of the Bakumatsu and tasted the shaking of Kyoto could stop this fight…"

"Someone who survived the Bakumatsu" Kaoru whispered. Determination clouded her vision as her eyes lost a tinge of her old shimmering blue.

Saitou went back to his stance. "You bastard, I'll use the Gatotsu even with a broken sword!"

"I see the Shinsengumi still don't know how to retreat." The Battousai also went into his stance of Battojutsu.

Saitou continued his 'Shinsengumi-is-very-great-therefore-I'm-great-and-you-cannot-beat-me' speech "The first principle of the Shinsengumi is that it is unworthy to deviate from the warrior's path. A warrior does not know how to flee before the enemy! You can never beat me!"

They started charging towards each other again, both were a blur. Then, Battousai knocked Saitou's sword out of his hand with his left fist.

"With his bare hands!" Yahiko was stunned. He had never seen a battle like this before.

"To make an opening for the sword." Sanosuke added and noticed that Kaoru was very silent and she was engrossed in the battle itself.

Her eyes darkened even more than before as it turns dark blue, Sano's words ran through her mind over and over again, '…not in Meiji Tokyo any more… fighting in Kyoto of the Bakumatsu… No matter how much you call … voice can't reach them … Only someone who survived the violence of the Bakumatsu and tasted the shaking of Kyoto could stop this fight…'

"Kaoru, you al…" but he was distracted by the battle between ex-hitokiris, or maybe more accurately, present hitokiris.

"So the Shinsengumi choose honor over life . . . That's all right with me." Battousai smirked.

"That's the match. He can't keep off Kenshin's sword bare-handed…" analyzed Sano, and then stopped wide-eyed. "The belt from his uniform!"

"When did he … …" Yahiko trailed off.

"I have you!" Saitou cried in triumph. He hit Battousai's hand with his belt and his reverse blade sword goes flying off and hit the floor.

"He's in trouble now! Without his sword Kenshin doesn't have a chance…" Sano realized.

"With this," he whipped off his jacket and pulls it taut around Battousai's throat, lifting him off the ground "it's over!"

Battousai strangled to breathe, though Saitou's gripped refused to waver.

"He's trying to strangle him!"

"Nothing so simple, Yahiko. He wants to break his neck …"

"Give up! You can't fight me anymore!"

Meanwhile, Kaoru's only thoughts are 'only, someone who survived the violence of Bakumatsu… can stop this… …'

Kaoru's eyes had turned completely black.

Battousai pushed down on the iron sheath at his belt, which catches Saitou under the chin. Saitou cried out loud in sudden pain and let go of his grip, a mistake, a careless one indeed. They separate and rolled off to grab their swords. They got up exactly at the same time and square off once again, both bloody and breathing hard.

"Neither of them have any strength to spare. This next attack will be the last. It'll be life or death, or else they'll both kill each other."

Kaoru said out loud, in a voice very unlike her own, cold , merciless, "if no one would stop them, I would"

"Kaoru!" Sano and Yahiko both heard her tone and what she said. But as they turned their head towards her, she disappeared.

"Where did she go?" Sano looked around frantically.

"How can she disappear so quickly?" Yahiko asked, and then felt the intensity of the current battle going on. Sano too, quickly revert his attention to the intense match.

"It's time we finished this." Saitou declared quietly

"Yes." Battousai agreed.

Another pregnant pause filled the dojo, as they froze from their stance.

Then, they both whispered in unison, "Let's go."

And they cried out a battle cry while charging to each other with speed only god can possess. When they reach each other, both cried out each of their own attacks, "Taikuu Gatotsu" "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu sou ryu sen kaminori"

"This is it, either Saito or Kenshin would win" Sano could not believe that there would be a possibility where Kenshin would be defeated.

"Either of them would die, or maybe both would." Yahiko loss all hope.

"Not if I can help it."

Another blur came in between the two attacking man. Using … kitchen knifes? Someone defended and stopped the attack from going past herself. She crossed her hands, with speed matched by perhaps the two attackers themselves, the two swords landed on the knifes and then she turned around twisting her hands in a way that she was now stuck in between swords and knifes but all narrowing missing her kimono.

"Kaoru!" Both Sano and Yahiko cried out.

Then the whole dojo went to a stand still.

Kaoru broke it.

"I refuse to let anyone die in MY dojo because of a stupid meaningless fight!"

Kaoru turned and glared into Battousai's amber eyes with her black shadowy ones.

"And, I will not let my shishou die this stupidly!"

AN: I hope that this is good coz I really like my idea… but my writing skills… sigh, well I laugh out loud at my own grammatical mistakes. So hope you'd all review…


	2. Shishou and Deshi

Disclaimer: (jumping for joy) I do not own RK (laughing till fall) no no, I do not have a fever, I just do not own RK (twirling around) I so do not own RK

AN: if you do not get it, I don't own RK and I'm happy 

Okay I shall make it plain: Irony, Sarcasm, Satire … (wonder if I spelt correctly…)

Now on with the story …… recap first though

_RECAP _

_Another blur came in between the two attacking man. Using … kitchen knifes? Someone defended and stopped the attack from going past herself. She crossed her hands, with speed matched by perhaps the two attackers themselves, the two swords landed on the knifes and then she turned around twisting her hands in a way that she was now stuck in between swords and knifes but all narrowing missing her kimono. _

"_I refuse to let anyone die in MY dojo because of a stupid meaningless fight!" _

_Kaoru turned and glared into Battousai's amber eyes with her black shadowy ones. _

"_And, I will not let my shishou die this easily!" _

Now on with the story ……

**Two Ex-Hitokiris in the house **

Chap 2 – Shishou and Deshi

Not moving an inch from this awkward position, Kenshin raised an eyebrown, "Saitou, since when do you have a deshi."

Saitou smirked, eyeing at Kaoru's determined expressions, he continued "she is not my student" and then completely ignored the red-head who was currently very confused but did not let the uncertainty over the situation show. The wolf let go of his grip of his sword and relaxed, though not letting his guard down. His sword clatter onto the dojo floor and broke into pieces.

"Tch, I need to get a new sword. Swords nowadays." and then continued to Kaoru, surprising everyone in the dojo. "I was wondering when you would come out"

Kaoru narrowed her shadowy eyes and said in a voice that chilled everyone (except for herself and Saito). "Saito, what is your real aim in coming here."

Kenshin suppressed a shiver. Even Battousai was bewildered. Too many questions and no one were able to answer them yet. Why did Kaoru call out 'shishou'? Who is that 'shishou'? How sweet, innocent Kaoru did become this cold? (Battousai: not sweet now eh though I prefer her this way) Weren't her eyes sapphire, why is it black now?

Saito laughed, took out a cigarette and lit it, much to the disgust of Kaoru. "You catch on quick, answer that yourself."

Kaoru would have narrowed her eyes further if that was possible, "Get out of my dojo now. I won't have you smoking in my house."

"Whatever for, I'd be missing all the fun of them, realizing what is your past."

Kaoru took an even deep breath "You are not welcome here. Out. Now." Kaoru said all these quietly and calmly, perhaps too soft and too calm.

Saito continue to smoke his cigarette, not budging from that spot… though not for long. A split second later, a kitchen knife brushed in front of him, cutting the cigarette into several pieces. He raised his head and saw Kaoru standing straight with another knife between her fingers, eyes narrowing,

"I'll be aiming for the packet next, and trust me, my aim is excellent."

Saito gave a cold smile. He knew that she identified where the packet of cigarette is. It was in the breast pocket of his uniform, meaning that she was aiming for his heart. He pivoted before walking away, "I'll be back."

Only when she was sure Saito was out of range before Kaoru relaxed. She mentally speculated. Solemnly and slowly, she turned around as she knew there was a lot to explain, especially to Kenshin.

She glanced around into the faces of Yahiko and Sanosuke. Yep, there were questions running through their eyes, but surprisingly they had not gone shooting off with the enquiries buzzing through their head. Sad to note, there was slight fear present in both of their ki. 'Quite naturally,' she thought depressingly, 'after all, I threatened to kill a police officer cum ex-hitokiri'

Kenshin on the other hand was unreadable. He kept his head down, bangs covering his eye-line and therefore refused any eye contact with anyone at all, especially Kaoru.

Kaoru kept her disappointment to herself and got distracted by the blood flowing out of Kenshin's wound. She broke the silence.

"We have to fix that wound up…" She hesitated before adding "shishou"

That was when there were finally some reactions.

Kenshin looked up startled. Staring at Kaoru with his amber eyes and cried out loud, "ORO!"

The fact that he was still Battousai did not help the situation at all.

Sano and Yahiko just plainly went hysterical.

"What on Earth!-"

"SHISHOU!-"

"You nuts!-"

"Not possible! AT ALL!"

"Yahiko-kun, please fetch Megumi-san here, she needs to see shishou… Kenshin's wound. Sanosuke-kun, please rest… umm… in your room, if not when Megumi-san comes, she will personally see to it that I do not live a good life. " Out of the noise, she still could be heard even though she did not raise her voice at all. The two instantaneously fell silent, but stayed where they were.

First they were already bombarded with questions that remain unanswered, second, Kaoru's eyes were in a creepy black colour shade, and third, she had just stop two hitokiris from murdering one another.

Kaoru fidgeted uncomfortably, and went to fetch some medication and bandages. She knew perfectly that her eyes were in that shade of black that only happens when she came out……

"Out now." Both Yahiko and Sano jumped an inch. (Not that it was possible for Sano to so but he did anyways.) Kaoru merely turned around. Kenshin spoke quietly, on the observation that both of them would not go do their biddings unless he did so. Besides he needed to find out who on earth that girl was. His voice was low, soft but commanding and frightening. He was truly a hitokiri.

Yahiko scurried out, as Sano limped back into his rest room, leaving a glaring, red head, amber eyed ex-hitokiri and a calm, black head and eyed, claiming-to-be deshi.

The atmosphere went still for a moment. Tension rose. Kaoru was staring at Kenshin while the latter was glaring in disbelief back at her.

Kaoru gave a sweet smile despite the tensed situation, and walked towards Kenshin. Her black eyes eyed at his wounds and pressed him to sit down. Shocked, Kenshin sat down rather hardly and Kaoru immediately set off to work.

She gently cleaned his wound and slowly bandaged it.

All the while, Kenshin was even more confused. 'Her actions, where have I seen them before? All this is so familiar. Her way of bandaging … it is as if it happened before, but when. She's not a doctor and almost all my wounds during the war are bandaged by the doctor except for…… and she claims to be my student. I have not taught anyone Hiten Mitsurugi before … except… … no it can't be… he, she…she's dead… impossible…'

"Who are you?" Kenshin exploded out suddenly.

That had hardly stunned Kaoru in any way, as if she anticipated that outburst. She just continued to bandage his wounds, much to the dislike of the irritated Battousai.

"Answer me." apparently, Battousai did not like to be ignored.

"All done." Kaoru ghostly smiled and took the box of medication away to put to its original place.

She stood up and walked away from where Kenshin was deep in thought. She was slightly heart-broken, Kenshin had not remembered who she was… not that she had expected him to have remembered her right away in the first place, though he had been living with her for a year already (AN: is it a year?) but there was still a tinsy winsy hope.

She sighed. "Oh well, that's life." She placed the box down.

Her senses sharpened. Sensing a familiar ki that was flaring nearby, she smiled. She should have known that her Shishou would try and attack her, even with a wound that serious.

'if a fight is what it takes to recognize me, a fight he shall get.'

She stomped hard on the wooden floor. It flipped up, revealing a hole in the dojo floor. She swiftly opened the covering, revealing a katana. A real katana. She picked it up, and unsheathed the katana just in time to block Kenshin's ryu sho sen (dragon flight flash) with her own counter attack of ryu sho sen. Kenshin, being the master of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu (well not really), blocked it.

To Kaoru, it was no big deal. In fact, she was enjoying it.

To Kenshin, it was the greatest shock. 'Rarely anyone could stop ryu sho sen especially with another ryu sho sen. How did she learn the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu?'

They continued to battle, both using Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu. Whenever Kenshin used one attack of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Kaoru would use exactly the attack back at him. The tension increases as two blurs crashes at each other, and bouncing back. Both equally matched in strength and speed. After five minutes of intense battle, though it was what seems like an hour…

"Sou ryu sen kaminori!" (twin dragon flash thunder) With an incredible spurt of speed, Kenshin used both the sword and sheath to attack. (AN: I think it works this way is it?)

"Perfect" was her only answer. She blocked the attack with her own sword and sheath.

They froze at contact, both breathing heavily.

Kaoru smiled, panting slightly, "if you had believed that I am your student, you wouldn't have executed that attack."

"I want to know, whether you are … … her," he whispered, eyes slightly in a daze, as if hopeful, yet exasperated.

Kenshin noticed Kaoru widened her smile mysteriously; her eyes glinted with familiar anticipation. "I am"

She started spinning her sheath with a speed that only Kenshin had and Kenshin's Sakabatou was 'blown' off his grip. She stopped her spinning and gracefully knock Kenshin's sheath off his hand as well… as Kenshin stared wide-eyed at her.

After her successful attacks against Kenshin, she landed and then turned towards him. She tilted her head at Kenshin's shocked expressions, "So, are you convinced?"

"…" He gave a blank look.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru stared at him.

"…"

"Hello? Earth to Kenshin Himura." Kaoru took a step closer and waved a hand in front of him.

"…"

"Himura!" Kaoru raised her voice…

"…" There was still no reaction. It was both weird and worrying at the same time. She tried another way of waking him up.

"Shishou…"

Now that had gained a reaction…

"Kyo!" Kenshin shouted Kaoru's fake name from Bakumatsu and made to hug her, but her hands held up in time.

"You are injured you know…" Kaoru eyed at Battousai's smile. It was so wide that it could even match the rurouni's.

"You'd think I give a damn, Kyoko" and he hugged Kaoru despite his injuries. Kaoru was a little shocked. It was rare that Battousai actually show some affection.

"I thought you were dead, a long time ago… Kyoko…" He whispered his student's both names from the past. It brought back sweet memories.

Now Kaoru was shocked. 'No wonder he did not remember me at first. He wanted to forget me as he thought I was dead. But why did he think I was dead in the first place?'

"Shishou, what makes you think I can't live as well as you can." Kaoru hugged him back. "I did after all learn Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu from you…" she thought 'You should have a bit more faith in me, Shishou'

"No… no Iizuka insisted that you were dead, Katsura too… they said…"

Kaoru silenced Kenshin, "well I'm alive now aren't I?"

The Battousai gave a small smile, "Who knew I had been living with my deshi for the past year."

Kaoru nodded.

"Care to spar?" Kenshin made a random comment.

Kaoru widened her eyes, "Are you insane? You are injured! Is that the only thing you can think of, even in the past… besides Megumi would murder me…"

"Come on…"

"You're whining like a kid. No."

"Fine…"

"What?" Kaoru frowned at Kenshin in disbelief at his quick agreement and thought that he had a more evil plot behind his monosyllabic answer.

"We have other things to settle anyways, and because I am injured, you can't strike back…" Battousai gave his student namely Kaoru, his most evil smile.

"What … things to sett- haha…hey stop haha…no…haha…fair…"

The dojo door slipped open revealing a black-haired doctor, a young boy and an ex-gangster.

They were all wide mouthed, eyes so big till eyeballs could pop up anytime.

Battousai had been tickling Kaoru, which explain their current placing which was that the red head was almost on top of the latter. They were having so much fun that they forgotten that the rest of habitants of the dojo existed. They had been so relaxed that they didn't realize the group came.

Immediately, they sprang from each other, and immediately settled down. What startled the trio was that not only both of them had the same amount of god-like speed, their way of sitting had been exactly identical. Both kneeling down in such a straight position and hands neatly overlapped on their own thighs.

"What on earth were you two doing?" two pairs of unfamiliar black eyes and amber eyes stared back at her. Megumi blinked several times. Black? Amber? What on earth was happening?

"Whatever. Ken-san, would you take off your gi, I need to check your wounds." The doctor took out her medical box.

"That's Himura for you, woman."

Megumi froze in her mid-action.

Battousai. That explains amber eyes… but the black eyes… She took an even deep breath. She was still a doctor and she was going to maintain composure in front of everybody and be professional, even if the patient was Battousai. She involuntarily shuddered.

"Give Megumi a break Shishou, she doesn't know."

"Shishou!" So much for composure. Megumi almost drop her bottle of medication. She glanced around at the two boys behind him. They carefully avoided her eyes but did not look as shocked as she was. She continued with her duty.

Kenshin rolled his eyes at Kaoru "Fine." And then he allowed the doctor to inspect his wounds.

Their uncharacteristic behaviours were unnerving. Kenshin's one was … quite understandable, but Kaoru. Since when did the tanuki voice become this … distance. Besides this, was that Kaoru called Ken-san 'shishou' and Ken-san did not deny it. She remembered when Yahiko came to fetch her……

FLASHBACK

"Hurry, Megumi, Kenshin is hurt …and" Yahiko came dashing in, panting hard.

Startled, Megumi looked up from her reading. "What! Ken-san is hurt!"

"And both Kaoru and Kenshin are acting weirdly."

"What are you talking about?"

"They are… I don't know. Just weird."

"I'll know when I see them. Now, first priority, Ken-san's injury."

END FLASH BACK

'Now I know…'Unrolling the bandaged wound, she first noticed, that it was wrapped expertly not likely the work of Kaoru's clumsiness, but if she did not do this who did? Ken-san?

"Did you wrap this Ken… Himura-san?" she changed his name last minute, it would not do well if she gets a sword pointed at her neck even if the sword is actually blunt.

"Obviously not."

Megumi raised her eyebrows at the blatant answer but said nothing about that.

"I'll go get tea. I expect them to … ask questions." Kaoru decided to go to the kitchen avoiding the tension that was building in the room.

Megumi finished her work, and packed her doctor's kit. Then no one moved. The silence was deafening. As usual, it was Sano who broke the silence, "Ano, could you, say, tell us what on earth is going on?"

"We'll wait for Kyoko"

"Kyoko?"

"Call me Kaoru, Himura" Kaoru shouted from the corridor

"What? Call you Kaoru Himura." Battousai teased with a smirk.

Kaoru appeared at the door, blue eyes glaring at Battousai, "You know what I mean perfectly."

The other three of them stare at their interaction wonderingly. They also noticed that Kaoru seemed to have her blue eyes back and heaved a sigh of relief inwardly.

Battousai realizing his companion had changed back into the 'sweet innocent Kaoru', he blinked, "How did you do that?"

Settling down the tea, rubbing her head, Kaoru smiled sheepishly, "took quite a bump."

Battousai then realized the occupants of the room other than Kaoru had been more than nervous. Battousai smirked and grabbed his Sakabatou. "If that makes you all more comfortable." With that he used his Sakabatou to knock his head.

"Kenshin?" Yahiko tried out, testingly

"Hai? Yahiko-kun."

Everyone in the room visibly relaxed while they settled down for a long story.

Kenshin took a sip of tea and started, "Well, my story goes like this…"

AN : Sorry for the cliffhanger but this chapter has began to be too long, and I don't like super long chapters, (neither the reverse) but I think this is adequate.


End file.
